NJ Transit, headquartered in Newark, is advancing plans to build an environmentally friendly transit service between its Secaucus Junction Station and the Meadowlands Sports and Entertainment Complex 7 mi. to the northwest across the Hackensack River.
The agency said July 21 that the Secaucus to Meadowlands Transitway will utilize mostly existing infrastructure and roadways to provide additional capacity. The project also includes construction of a new ground level terminal at the Meadowlands and modifications to the existing bus circulation configuration and terminal at Secaucus Junction.
The goal of the enterprise is to move a stadium's worth of people seamlessly and continuously between Secaucus Junction and the Meadowlands complex, anchored by MetLife Stadium, home of two NFL teams, the New York Giants and New York Jets.
"NJ Transit is taking another exciting step towards advancing an innovative and environmentally friendly solution to move additional customers between Secaucus Junction and the Meadowlands Complex," said Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and chair of the NJ Transit Board of Directors. "This critical initiative will support economic growth in the state, while effectively meeting the anticipated travel demands to New Jersey's premier sports, retail and entertainment destinations."
"By once again advancing this innovative project, NJ Transit shows that we are more than ready to tackle the world's largest events," added NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin S. Corbett. "With this project advancing, NJ Transit is poised to provide an exceptional service experience to the Meadowlands Sports and Entertainment Complex, bolstering New Jersey's prominence on the global stage."
At the NJ Transit Board of Directors meeting in August 2021, the public transportation corporation's staff was authorized to enter into a contract with HNTB Corp. of New York, N.Y., for concept development and preliminary engineering for the Secaucus-Meadowlands Transitway, as well as final design engineering and construction assistance. At that time, funding was authorized to complete the first phase of conceptual development and preliminary design services in an amount of approximately $3.5 million.
Then, on July 21, the transit agency's board authorized HNTB to enter Phase 2, the final engineering, under a contract worth $34.95 million, plus 5 percent for contingencies, subject to the availability of funds.
NJ Transit said that it had "sought proposals from planning, architecture and engineering design professionals with the intention of leveraging existing rights-of-way and partnering with adjacent transportation infrastructure owners," such as NJDOT and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, to implement environmentally friendly transit access quickly and cost-effectively between the Secaucus Junction Station and the Meadowlands.
"As part of the overall project," NJ Transit noted in a news release, "transit modes studied and advanced as a part of this work shall be configured such that they are capable of either being implemented with zero emission vehicles or be readily transitioned to zero emission vehicles in the future, with the capability of being scalable to fully autonomous vehicle operation as demonstrated advances in the industry allow."
NJ Transit Valuable Asset to Garden State
NJ Transit serves as the Garden State's public transportation corporation. Its mission is to move New Jersey and the region by providing safe, dependable, and affordable public transportation that connects people to their everyday lives, one trip at a time.
Covering a service area of 5,325 sq. mi., NJ Transit is the nation's third largest provider of bus, rail, and light rail transit, linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia. The agency operates an active fleet of 2,221 buses, 1,231 trains and 93 light rail vehicles. On 253 bus routes and 12 rail lines statewide, the service provides nearly 270 million passenger trips each year.
Additionally, NJ Transit administers several publicly funded transit programs for people with disabilities, senior citizens and people living in the state's rural areas who have no other means of transportation. The agency also provides support and equipment to privately-owned contract bus carriers.
As the vehicle that connects New Jerseyans with employment, education, health care and recreational opportunities in and around the state, NJ Transit has proven its value to the state's economic and social well-being as well as its quality of life.
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